Antisocial Behaviour

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many anti-social behaviour injunctions have been issued since April 2007.

Parmjit Dhanda: Social landlords (including local authorities and registered social landlords) can apply for injunctions to tackle antisocial behaviour under the Housing Act 1996. These are commonly known as antisocial behaviour injunctions. Using their powers under the Local Government Act 1972, local authorities may also apply to the civil courts for injunctions to restrain antisocial behaviour that constitutes a public nuisance.
	Large registered social landlords (those owning and/or managing 1,000 or more units/bedspaces) successfully applied for 1,319 antisocial behaviour injunctions from April 2007 to March 2008. These figures were collected by the Housing Corporation. Figures for smaller registered social landlords are not available.
	Communities and Local Government has asked local authorities to submit information for 2007-08 on antisocial behaviour injunctions and those injunctions available to them under the Local Government Act 1972. These figures are not yet available.

Departmental Expenditure

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to Annex B, Table 1 of her Department's annual report 2008, what proportion of the provision recorded as unallocated for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11 has now been allocated.

Parmjit Dhanda: None. Any changes involving proposed use of Departmental Unallocated Provision for 2008-09 will be included within the Department's Winter or Spring Supplementary Estimates and accompanying Ministerial Statements to the House. As yet, none of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 allocations have been allocated to a programme.

Housing: Floods

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of  (a) the number of households displaced and  (b) the amount of uninsured losses caused by the recent flooding, broken down by local authority area.

John Healey: An assessment of the impact of the recent flooding is still being made and it is too early, at this stage, to assess how many households will be out of their homes for a significant period. Information by area is not available but in Morpeth, the worst affected area, it was estimated that around 500 residents attended the emergency rest centres. The information needed to assess the level of uninsured losses could only be gathered at disproportionate costs.

Local Authorities: Complaints

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many complaints the Standards Board for England has investigated in each of the last 10 years; and what the  (a) outcome of the investigation and  (b) consequent action taken was in each case.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Standards Board for England came into existence in 2001 and its first full year of operation was 2002-03. The following tables show the number of investigations dealt with per financial year and the outcomes of those investigations and the consequent action taken in each case.
	
		
			  Number of investigations and their outcome 
			  Investigation findings  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 No evidence of breach 114 154 310 119 128 73 
			 No further action 211 462 947 459 182 126 
			 No further action taken as there was no power to refer a matter locally 30 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Referred to local authority standards committee n/a 58 78 66 12 15 
			 Referred to Adjudication Panel for England (1)109 87 111 94 9 8 
			 Direction to monitoring officer for other action n/a n/a 0 12 46 71 
			
			 Total cases 466 761 1,446 750 377 364 
			 (1 )One of which was an interim report 
		
	
	
		
			  Consequent action 
			  Sanctions  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 No breach 1 6 12 15 6 2 
			 Censure — 18 26 18 — 1 
			 Suspension and training — — — — 1 2 
			 Suspension 1 39 53 49 5 7 
			 Suspension and censure — — — — — 2 
			 Censure and training — — — — — 1 
			 Suspension and apology — — — — — 1 
			 Suspension or apology/training — — — — 2 — 
			 Suspension, training and apology — — — — — — 
			 Censure, training and apology — — — — — — 
			 No further action 1 7 15 29 5 — 
			 Partial suspension — 1 — 3 — — 
			 Partial suspension, training and apology — — — — 1 — 
			 Partial suspension, training, apology and censure — — — — 1 — 
			 Suspension, training and censure — — — — — — 
			 Training — — — — 1 1 
			 Apology — — — — — — 
			 Apology and training — — — — 2 — 
			 Withdrawn/other — 1 — 1 — — 
			 Disqualified 27 97 25 31 6 7 
		
	
	This table reflects that in some cases the investigation and subsequent action were in different financial years, and that for some cases there were two or more consequent actions taken.

Repossession Orders

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes were repossessed in  (a) each local housing authority area and  (b) nationwide in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available.

Parmjit Dhanda: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Financial Services Authority. However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders data is available on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.Uk/cml/filegrab/3AP4.xls?ref=2753
	The Financial Services Authority data is available on their website at:
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/

Respite Care

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information is collected by local authorities on the number and percentage of disabled children in each locality accessing short breaks services; what analysis her Department has made of such data; and if she will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	Although local authority data on disabled children's access to short break services is not currently available, DCSF has asked authorities to begin to collect this data as part of the Children in Need (CIN) Census. The first CIN Census is a child-level data collection that will run from 1 October 2008 to 31 March 2009. Data will be submitted to the Department by the end of June 2009 and published in autumn 2009. Figures on the number of children accessing short breaks will then be provided through the CIN Census on an annual basis for each financial year from 2009-10 onwards.
	For a limited period beginning April 2009, the DCSF will also monitor local authority progress in growing short break services through complimentary information collected as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children delivery programme.

Allotments

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the public health effects of people maintaining allotments.

Ben Bradshaw: No specific considerations have been given to the health benefits of maintaining an allotment but cultivating an allotment represents a rewarding opportunity for building physical activity into everyday life for those seeking an alternative to sport or other structured exercise. There is also evidence that exercising in a natural environment can bring additional benefits for health and wellbeing.
	There is also value in children growing their own food and recognising where food comes from as a real incentive to eating their Five a Day.

Health Services: Finance

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average cost was of a visit to a patient by the out of hours service in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what the average cost was of a consultation by the out of hours service in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what the average cost of an out of hours service telephone call providing advice or guidance was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not held by the Department.
	Primary care trusts (PCTs) now have a legal responsibility to ensure they provide, or secure provision of a high quality, sustainable service for their local population. Therefore, it is the responsibility of PCTs to performance manage the provision of out of hours service.

Measles: Vaccination

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the level of immunisation against measles in east London; whether he plans to promote a programme for greater immunisation amongst those deemed most vulnerable; whether a separate measles vaccination is provided in circumstances where parents prefer that option; what recent representations his Department has received on the computer system used to manage immunisation records; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on vaccination uptake levels by primary care trusts are published annually by the Information Centre (a copy of the most recent report 'NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2006-07' has already been placed in the Library). The Department is concerned about the low levels of MMR immunisation generally, and London in particular. In order to reduce the risk of measles outbreaks, an MMR catch-up campaign for England was launched on 6 August 2008. The letter from the Chief Medical Officer to primary care trusts details the priority groups that are most in need of the MMR immunisation.
	The NHS does not recommend single measles, mumps or rubella vaccines because there is no evidence to support the use of single vaccines or to suggest that they are in any way "safer" than MMR. Every independent expert group around the world (including the World Health Organisation) supports the use of MMR, and none support the use of single vaccines.
	The Department is an observer on the Child Health Board which is managing the
	implementation of the IT system that will replace Child Health Interim Application (CHIA) or London. London primary care trusts are represented on the board and can make representations regarding CHIA at this forum.

NHS Direct

Jeremy Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to his Department is of a telephone call to the NHS Direct line, including the cost of staffing and other overheads.

Ben Bradshaw: The average cost of a telephone call to NHS Direct was £15.35 for 2007-08.
	The figure is based on an average cost of all calls to NHS Direct, including calls to the 0845 4647 number, the Appointments Line and other services.

NHS: Finance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum debt that can be taken on by each  (a) NHS trust and  (b) NHS foundation trust is; and what each such trust's assets were at the latest date for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Where it is necessary for a national health service trust to borrow for capital investment or working capital then the level of borrowing is primarily determined by its ability to service the debt. To inform its decision the Department calculates prudential borrowing limits for each NHS trust using a similar basis to that applied by Monitor to NHS foundation trusts (NHSFTs) under their prudential borrowing code. However, for NHS trusts, the Department ultimately makes the decision about how much capital or working capital is required and the source of finance.
	The following information in respect of NHS trusts has been placed in the Library:
	Prudential borrowing limits relating to 2008-09 for NHS trusts based on 2007-08 annual accounts data; and
	Total value of assets held at 31 March 2008 for NHS trusts in existence on that date.
	The information requested in relation to NHSFTs is not held centrally and is a matter for individual organisations. However, the annual reports and accounts of NHSFTs are publicly available on Monitor's website
	www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk
	The amount NHSFTs can borrow is calculated in accordance with the Prudential borrowing code which is also available from Monitor. Individual borrowing limits have also been published by Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) in "NHS Foundation Trusts: Review and Consolidated Accounts 2006-07". As at 31 March 2007, the long term borrowing limit for 59 NHSFTs amounted to £2.2 billion which is in addition to working capital facilities of £884 million. As at 31 March 2008, for 89 NHSFTs these amounts had increased to£3.2 billion and £1.2 billion respectively.

NHS: Intimidation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incidences of bullying of  (a) NHS and  (b) his Department's staff have been reported in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect data on specific incidences of bullying within the national health service, these are investigated at a local level.
	However, information from staff is available from the NHS Staff survey. The survey is a key source of information relating to a range of workforce issues in the NHS and is undertaken annually. The results of the survey are used locally to drive improvement.
	The 2007 NHS Staff survey show that 18 per cent. of staff indicated that they have experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from other staff in the previous 12 months. 26 per cent. of staff indicated that they had experienced harassment, bullying or abuse from patients or their relatives in the previous 12 months.
	Following the NHS Staff survey results, the issue of harassment, bullying and abuse is one of the five key priorities that the National Social Partnership Forum (SPF) is taking forward. The SPF (employers, NHS trade unions and Department of Health working together on workforce issues) has sponsored work with NHS staff and managers to educate and train them to recognise, prevent and deal with bullying and harassment.
	Within the Department, there have been five incidences of bullying reported in the last 12 months. This represents at most 0.2 per cent. of staff.

NHS: Northampton

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS spending there was in Northampton in each year between 1998 and 2008.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not available in the format requested. However, expenditure reported by the Northampton Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) between 2002-03 and 2005-06 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Expenditure (£000) 
			 2002-03 175,926 
			 2003-04 215,924 
			 2004-05 229,430 
			 2005-06 254,423 
			  Notes: 1. The Department holds no accounts figures by individual national health service organisations prior to 2000-01. In 2000-01 and 2001-02, the majority of the expenditure within Northampton was by the Northamptonshire Health Authority. Therefore, expenditure solely within Northampton cannot be separately identified. 2. Northampton Teaching PCT was established on 1 April 2002 and dissolved on 30 September 2006. Northamptonshire Teaching PCT included expenditure from the Northampton Teaching PCT in 2006-07 in its accounts and therefore cannot be separately identified. 3. Northampton Teaching PCT was merged with the Northamptonshire Heartlands PCT and the Daventry and South Northamptonshire PCT in October 2006 to form the Northamptonshire Teaching PCT. 4. This does not include all NHS spending within the Northampton area, as the element of spending by the East Midlands Strategic Health Authority within Northampton cannot be identified. 5. General dental services expenditure was accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and not by the PCT. Audited figures for Northampton cannot therefore be supplied. 6. The majority of pharmaceutical services expenditure was accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by the PCT. Audited figures for Northampton cannot therefore be supplied. 7. Owing to lead commissioning arrangements where the lead PCT commissions on behalf of other consortium members, figures may not be consistent over time.  Source:  Audited summarisation schedules of Northampton Teaching PCT for 2002-03 to 2005-06.

NHS: Standards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will publish the targets set under the NHS efficiency index;
	(2)  whether the NHS efficiency target index is in operation.

Ben Bradshaw: There is not a national health service efficiency target index. As part of the last Comprehensive Spending Review settlement, the NHS is committed to delivering, over the period 2008-09-2010-11, three per cent. year-on-year efficiency improvements, which are cash-releasing, sustained and net of costs. This equates to annual savings of over £8 billion by 2010-11. The Department described its approach to delivering these savings in its "Value for Money Delivery Agreement", published in December 2007, and will report publicly on progress, including in its autumn performance report.

Nutrition

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 519-22W, on NHS: personal records, how many nutrition-related adverse incidents were recorded in each month between January 2005 and December 2007 in each primary care trust area;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2008,  Official Report, column 911W, on NHS: personal records, if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the reports of nutrition-related adverse incidents made in the last 30 day period for which such reports are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information about nutrition-related adverse incidents in each primary care trust area is not held by the Department. The National Patient Safety Agency's National Reporting and Learning System does not capture the primary care trust area of residence of the patient involved in an adverse incident. The strategic health authority (SHA) analysis, provided in the reply to the earlier question, is based on the SHA that each NHS trust is aligned to, but those catchment areas do not map readily to primary care trust boundaries.
	Reports of nutrition-related adverse incidents made are not held centrally.

Worthing and Southlands Hospital Trust

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in relation to the NHS IT system CERNER RO introduced to the Worthing and Southlands Hospital Trust, what benefits were expected as a result of the introduction of the system; who initiated its introduction; whether the expected benefits have been realised; what estimate he has made of the cost of the introduction; who is responsible for negotiating with contractors for the support and upgrading of the system; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Cerner was selected as a subcontractor for the provision of secondary care systems across the South of England by the then national programme for information technology (NPfTT) local service provider (LSP), Fujitsu. Contracts with LSPs under NPfIT are held and negotiated by NHS Connecting for Health on behalf of the Secretary of State.
	The R0 version was the first software release in a programme of continuing releases, in accordance with the aims of the NPfTT. R0 is therefore the first step towards a clinically rich, integrated system whose benefits will include, over time, a patient administration system with integration with other systems and sophisticated reporting; order communications and diagnostics reporting, including all pathology and radiology tests and tests ordered in primary care; and scheduling for beds, tests and theatres.
	The introduction of the Cerner product was done as part of the normal system deployment process managed by a joint team from Fujitsu and the strategic health authorities with the support of NHS Connecting for Health.
	The cost to Fujitsu of local deployments is covered within the overall LSP contract value. Information on any separate local costs incurred by Worthing and Southlands Hospital Trust arising from the deployment is not held centrally. This is normally part of the local financial planning process and the benefits are identified in the business case although it is not expected that the full benefits will be realised until subsequent releases have been implemented.
	Responsibility for system support and software upgrading over the lifetime of the system lies with the LSP, and the cost is provided for in the LSP contract. Any additional or bespoke services requested by the trust are a matter between the trust and the LSP.

Departmental Manpower

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of a list of non-executive directors employed by his Department including the business units or areas of expertise to which they provide oversight and brief biographical information for each individual.

Anne McGuire: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what  (a) listening exercises and  (b) public forums his Department has held in each of the last two years; what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost was in each case; and who the private contractor was and how much it was paid in each case.

Anne McGuire: In the last two financial years DWP has conducted a number of public forums or listening exercises targeted specifically at the general public. Event management services were provided by private contractors for some of these. The information which is available is set out in the following table. Amounts paid to the external contractors in each case could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	As well as the public forums or listening exercises listed DWP has also engaged with a wide range of the public through online consultation and correspondence, and with stakeholder organisations.
	
		
			  Date  Event purpose  Venue  Contractor 
			 10 January 2007 Raise awareness of the work of Equality 2025 and encourage disabled people to apply for the Northern Ireland representative's post. Belfast City Council Not applicable 
			 27 March 2007 Indicators of equality consultation—How will we know we are making progress? Edinburgh n/a 
			 30 March 2007 Indicators of equality consultation—How will we know we are making progress? London n/a 
			 4 April 2007 Indicators of equality consultation—How will we know we are making progress? Manchester n/a 
			 10 May 2007 Consultation workshop—Independent Living Review Novotel, Bristol Offshoot 
			 15 May 2007 Consultation workshop—Independent Living Review NEC, Birmingham Offshoot 
			 22 May 2007 Consultation workshop—Independent Living Review Novotel, London Offshoot 
			 8 June 2007 Consultation workshop—Independent Living Review NEC, Manchester Offshoot

National Insurance: Immigrants

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 325W, on national insurance: immigrants, how many of the 3,275 cases where the names or national insurance numbers (NINOs) given to the Security Industry Authority appeared to be false were cases in which a NINO was issued after the introduction of the right to work test in July 2006; how many of the 3,275 cased involved  (a) a false name and  (b) a false NINO; and what steps have been taken to prevent the issuing of NINOs on the basis of a false name since July 2006.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 None of the national insurance numbers provided to the SIA had been issued by the Department for Work and Pensions to the 3,275 individuals concerned. In 1,873 cases the NINO provided did exist on the Department's Customer Information System (CIS) but was registered to a different name. In 1,402 cases the number did not exist on CIS at all. Where a potential criminal offence has been committed, details have been passed to the Department for Work and Pensions Fraud Investigation Service for investigation and, where appropriate, prosecution.
	It remains the legal responsibility of the employer to check that all their employees have the right to work in the United Kingdom. Employers have clear guidance on the documents they can accept as evidence of the right to work, and this does not include SIA licences or, in the absence of other specified documents, a national insurance number.
	Since 2001, the Department for Work and Pensions has had in place rigorous identity checking and verification procedures for all national insurance number applicants. In 2007-08, 759 applications were refused due to suspect documentation and led to 181 successful prosecutions. Over the same period, a further 5,114 refusals were made on the basis of the applicant failing to provide sufficient evidence of identity.

New Deal for Long Term Unemployed

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of New Deal for 25 plus participants went into the categories  (a) employment,  (b) employment and benefits,  (c) benefits—jobseeker's allowance,  (d) benefits—income support,  (e) benefits—incapacity benefit,  (f) benefits—income support and incapacity benefit,  (g) benefits—other/unknown benefits,  (h) other known destination and  (i) off benefits unknown destination within (i) two weeks, (ii) three months, (iii) six months and (iv) one year of leaving the programme in each year since 1997, broken down by Jobcentre Plus district.

Stephen Timms: New deal has been a success helping nearly 2 million people in to work. However, the characteristics of job seekers and the labour market have changed since the introduction of the new deal 10 years ago. That is why we are introducing a new flexible new deal which will offer a personalised approach to its customers. It will tailor the support available to them to their particular needs and to that of the local labour market enabling them to increase their chances of gaining not only employment but sustainable employment in which they can progress.
	The information has been placed in the Library.

Pensioners: Personal Income

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average income of the  (a) top and  (b) bottom quartile of (i) pensioners and (ii) pensioners over the age of 80 in each region was in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Information for those over the age of 80 is not available due to small sample sizes.
	The information for all pensioners is shown in the following tables. Figures are based on survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non sampling error. Figures are based on the average of three years' data as single year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Users should not read too much into small differences between regions or between three-year averages, particularly for the top quartile where estimates may be influenced by extreme values.
	
		
			  Average gross income of all pensioners in the top quartile of the income distribution of pensioner units in Great Britain by region 
			  £ per week (2006 - 07 prices) 
			   1997-98 to 1999-2000  1998-99 to 2000-01  1999-2000 to 2001-02  2000-01 to 2002-03  2001-02 to 2003-04  2002-03 to 2004-05  2003-04 to 2005-06  2004-05 to 2006-07 
			 North East 528 537 551 587 631 691 713 754 
			 North West and Merseyside 585 614 586 605 653 702 742 727 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 635 652 683 697 737 703 712 691 
			 East Midlands 550 563 583 619 654 689 695 737 
			 West Midlands 605 618 626 632 629 663 704 713 
			 East of England 655 662 667 700 711 728 720 741 
			 London 711 795 855 820 796 770 828 901 
			 South East 652 677 741 787 830 835 851 839 
			 South West 576 630 643 668 654 712 747 774 
			 Wales 521 522 551 588 653 662 680 675 
			 Scotland 583 605 611 622 621 668 684 727 
			 England 625 657 682 702 721 739 765 778 
			  
			 Great Britain 616 646 669 690 709 729 754 769 
		
	
	
		
			  Average gross income of all pensioners in the bottom quartile of the income distribution of pensioner units in Great Britain by region 
			  £ per week (2006 - 07 prices) 
			   1997-98 to 1999-2000  1998-99 to 2000-01  1999-2000 to 2001-02  2000-01 to 2002-03  2001-02 to 2003-04  2002-03 to 2004-05  2003-04 to 2005-06  2004-05 to 2006-07 
			 North East 118 125 131 137 142 144 148 147 
			 North West 114 118 124 129 133 138 142 143 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 119 124 128 133 138 142 143 144 
			 East Midlands 114 117 122 127 133 137 140 141 
			 West Midlands 114 119 124 128 132 135 140 141 
			 East of England 113 117 122 126 130 135 138 139 
			 London 108 110 115 120 123 127 128 131 
			 South East 111 117 120 124 129 135 138 138 
			 South West 112 116 123 126 131 135 137 138 
			 Wales 112 117 123 129 134 138 141 142 
			 Scotland 118 122 128 134 139 144 146 147 
			 England 114 118 123 127 131 136 139 140 
			  
			 Great Britain 114 118 123 128 132 137 140 141 
			  Notes: 1. Gross income is income from all sources received by the pensioner unit including income from social security benefits, earnings from employment, any private pension, and tax credits. 2. Figures show average income for pensioner units in each region within relevant quartile of the income distribution for Great Britain. 3. Based on survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non sampling error. Figures are based on the average of three years' data as single year estimates do not provide a robust guide to year-on-year changes. Estimates for the highest quartile may be influenced by extreme values. Users should not read too much into small differences between regions. 4. Great Britain figures are included on the same basis for comparison: further information for single years at a national level are available in the publication "Pensioners' Income Series 2006-07". 5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest £. 6. Pensioner units are either pensioner couples or single pensioners. 7. Pensioner couples are couples where one or more of the adults are state pension age or over.  Source: Pensioners' Income Series 2006-07

Personal Accounts Delivery Authority: Consultants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many consultants are employed by the Personal Accounts Delivery Authority; and how much the authority has spent on them.

Mike O'Brien: Setting up a pension scheme of the size and nature of the personal accounts scheme is a complex task and requires specialist skills. The Personal Accounts Delivery Authority needs to access a range of skills to support the development of the scheme, including skills most appropriately and efficiently provided through consultancy contracts.
	The Delivery Authority took responsibility for accounting for its own expenditure from 1 March 2008.
	The number of consultants employed by the Delivery Authority has varied over time in response to changing needs. During the period 1 March 2008 to 31 August 2008, PADA have engaged 21 consultants a month on average. These were recruited after a competitive tender exercise and in line with Office of Government Commerce procedures and best practice to secure value for money.
	The amount spent on consultants for work for the Delivery Authority from 1 March 2008 to 31 August 2008 is estimated to be around £4.6 million.
	From 1 August 2007 to 28 February 2008, the costs of the Delivery Authority were met directly form Departmental budgets. The cost of consultancy in this period is estimated to be around £5.9 million.

Gender: Discrimination

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government has taken to act upon the recommendations of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women since the 41st session of parties of 30 June to 18 July.

Barbara Follett: I will let the right hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what proportion of the £1 million emergency fund for rape crisis centres, announced in March, has been distributed; which organisations have received such funding; how much each organisation has received; and what plans the Government has to maintain the funding for the year starting April 2009.

Barbara Follett: I will let the right hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.

Cabinet: Meetings

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister on what occasions the Cabinet has met at times other than its regular meeting times since June 2007; which Cabinet Ministers did not attend the Cabinet meeting held in Birmingham in September 2008; when the media were first informed that the Cabinet would meet in Birmingham; and what costs arose from holding the meeting in Birmingham.

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Prime Minister what  (a) security,  (b) administration and  (c) other costs were incurred as a result of holding the meeting of the Cabinet in Birmingham on 8th September 2008.

Gordon Brown: Cabinet is usually held on Tuesday mornings. My spokesman announced on 4 August that Cabinet alongside a series of visits and a public engagement events would be held outside London
	(http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page16444).
	All Cabinet Ministers and Ministers attending Cabinet were present. The costs will be published shortly.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has had made of the effects of his Department's budget overspend in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08 on (i) cashflow for payments under the Single Payment Scheme and (ii) delivery of other frontline services.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 September 2008
	In 2006-07, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs exceeded its capital budget by a net £17.4 million. This amount was subsequently deducted from the 2007-08 capital budget. Through normal in-year financial management, the Department was able to live within its revised budget, including coping with the emergency costs of floods and animal disease outbreaks. The Department protected ministerial priorities and avoided any additional burden on taxpayers over the two years.
	Payments under the Single Payment Scheme are funded in full from the European Union so are not affected by budget changes. Delivery of frontline services in 2007-08 was not affected as their budgets had already been set by the time the capital budget reduction was known, and those frontline services budgets were not subsequently reduced.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the evidential basis is for the statement in his Department's 2008 annual report that the Government is on course to meet the 2008 target for limiting the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 September 2008
	DEFRA's statement that we are on course to achieve
	"a reduction in the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) to new parishes to below the incremental trend of 17.5 confirmed new incidents per annum by the end of 2008"
	was based on the latest statistics available at the time the report was written.
	Our statistics show that in the 12 months up to September 2007, there were 236 confirmed new incidents of bTB in 'new' parishes i.e. those parishes where there had been no confirmed new bTB incidents during the previous four calendar years. The five-year average (mean) from October 2002 to September 2007 was 298.8 CNIs per year in new parishes compared to the previous five-year average (October 2001 to September 2006) of 316.6. So, the PSA9 indicator at the end of September 2007 was 17.8 CNIs per annum. Bovine TB is cyclical in nature with variations occurring both seasonally and over longer time scales so care should be taken not to read too much into such short to medium-term changes. However, taking variations into account, we would expect the projected PSA9 indicator for the end of 2008 to be below the target of +17.5 CNIs per annum.

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in his Department was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the amount of overtime paid to staff in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade. The data covers staff in core-DEFRA and those agencies covered by core-DEFRA pay arrangements (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Government Decontamination Service and Pesticides Safety Directorate (who merged with the Health and Safety Executive on 1 April 2008)).
	
		
			  £ 
			   AA  AO  EO  HEO  FS  SEO  VO  G7  G6 
			  2007  
			 September 45,128 103,573 227,827 162,620 5,427 47,375 234,541 52,512 67,995 
			 October 47,570 92,356 202,807 142,397 3,786 43,473 224,251 50,592 102,909 
			 November 39,975 82,806 279,805 157,360 465 19,663 263,798 44,063 62,712 
			 December 23,027 57,901 177,452 106,901 8,084 39,170 137,779 62,428 38,348 
			 January 08 30,055 21,767 38,166 41,431 2,366 35,647 30,000 21,365 33,889 
			   
			  2008  
			 February 20,294 32,173 56,892 49,677 1,250 20,803 30,492 20,856 12,059 
			 March 13,209 15,041 41,023 22,787 4,122 13,954 20,831 8,900 7,169 
			 April 9,077 27,777 48,834 43,450 1,434 23,449 27,817 28,913 19,328 
			 May 5,684 18,175 36,104 38,070 3,788 16,357 16,170 34,667 5,662 
			 June 6,176 21,778 35,897 37,055 823 8,167 25,549 14,424 8,370 
			 July 8,052 38,349 74,013 62,590 2,282 30,782 56,146 31,061 16,520 
			 August 8,585 18,053 39,508 32,148 1,533 17,367 27,124 33,914 10,879 
			  Note: Grade equivalents: AA—Administration Assistant AO—Administration Officer EO—Executive Officer HEO—Higher Executive Officer FS—Fast Stream SEO—Senior Executive Officer VO—Veterinary Officer G7—Grade 7 G6—Grade 6

Departmental Public Participation

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer to the Right hon. Member for Maidenhead of 12 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 1327-28W, on departmental public participation, if he will place in the Library copies of the  (a) Navigator research study on Waste Infrastructure,  (b) Scott Wilson research study on Public Understanding of Sustainable Transport and  (c) Social Research and Consultancy study on Consumer attitudes to waste efficiency.

Joan Ruddock: I am arranging for copies of the Scott Wilson research study on Public Understanding of Sustainable Transport and the Social Research and Consultancy study on Consumer attitudes to water efficiency to be placed in the Library of the House. The Navigator Waste Infrastructure Research study has not yet been completed.

Departmental Sick Pay

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have received sick pay for sick leave due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what the average length of time was for which sick pay was paid in these cases; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Tables showing the total number of staff who have received sick pay for sick absence due to (i) stress and (ii) mental and behavioural disorders and the average length of time for which sick pay was paid in these cases, for the last four financial years is given as follows. Data prior to April 2004 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Stress 
			  Financial year  Total number of staff  Average length of time sick pay paid (days) 
			 1 April 2007—31 March 2008 133 25.1 
			 1 April 2006—31 March 2007 167 25.8 
			 1 April 2005—31 March 2006 200 22.5 
			 1 April 2004—31 March 2005 101 32.7 
		
	
	
		
			  Mental health and behavioural disorders 
			  Financial year  Total number of staff  Average length of time sick pay paid 
			 1 April 2007—31 March 2008 130 30 
			 1 April 2006—31 March 2007 174 28.2 
			 1 April 2005—31 March 2006 208 29.3 
			 1 April 2004—31 March 2005 93 36.1 
		
	
	The data covers all staff in core-DEFRA and those executive agencies covered by the core-Department's terms and conditions (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Government Decontamination Service and Pesticides Safety Directorate (who merged with the Health and Safety Executive on 1 April 2008)).
	The data does not cover those executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies who operate delegated pay arrangements, as this information could be provided, only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Pay

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid in sick pay to staff in  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility in each of the last five years; what proportion of the staffing expenditure of each body this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: A table showing the total cost of sick pay for staff in DEFRA for the last four financial years is as follows. Data prior to April 2004, is only available at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial Year (1 April to 31 March each year)  Total cost of sick pay (£)  Proportion of staffing expenditure (%) 
			 2007-08 3,569,351 1.41 
			 2006-07 4,146,313 1.40 
			 2005-06 4,894,761 1.79 
			 2004-05 3,524,208 1.40 
		
	
	The data covers all staff in Core-DEFRA and those Executive Agencies covered by the core-department's terms and conditions (i.e. Animal Health, Marine and Fisheries Agency, Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Government Decontamination Service and Pesticides Safety Directorate (who merged with the HSE on 1 Apr 08))
	Further information on the Department's other agencies and non-departmental public bodies is only available at disproportionate cost.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effects of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 on the behaviour of breeders of dogs; and what plans he has to reduce the number of young dogs in animal sanctuaries.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 September 2008
	Under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 and the Breeding and Sales of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999, anyone who is in the business of breeding and selling dogs requires a licence from their local authority. Under the legislation, local authorities have powers of entry, search and can decide whether a licence should be issued.
	In addition, the Animal Welfare Act 2006 provides that any owner or keeper must provide for the welfare needs of their animals (this requirement applies to breeders of dogs). Failure to provide for an animal's needs can result in a penalty of £5,000 and/or six months' imprisonment. The 2006 Act, which came into force last year, placed for the first time a statutory responsibility on owners and keepers to provide for the welfare needs of their animals. Anyone considering owning or keeping a dog should ensure that they are familiar with what is required and are prepared to meet the associated costs.
	I am satisfied that the existing legislation contains the necessary powers to enable enforcers to deal with any irresponsible dog breeders and owners.
	My Department is working with devolved Administrations to produce a code of practice on the keeping of dogs. The code will explain the essential requirements of keeping a dog and will be approved by Parliament. We anticipate consulting widely on a draft code before the end of the year.
	We hope this guidance will enable people to better understand the care a dog requires and thus reduce the number of dogs in animal sanctuaries.

Domestic Wastes: Waste Management

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment the Waste and Resources Action Programme has made of the scope for monthly collections of household residual rubbish.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 The Waste and Resources Action Programme have made no such assessment.

Fertilisers: Subsidies

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assist farmers in meeting fertiliser costs; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: holding answer 10 September 2008
	Current high energy prices are having a knock-on effect on the price of manufactured 'inorganic' fertilisers. Jeff Rooker and Hilary Benn have discussed this issue with the Agricultural Industries Confederation, which represents the UK fertiliser sector. We are alert to the potential impact high fertiliser prices may have on farmers and we will continue to monitor the situation; the fundamental cause is the rise in the price of oil.
	Farmers will want to do all they can to ensure efficient fertiliser use. Some farmers will also need to consider increased use of 'organic' fertilisers such as manures. Other options include the use of digestate from Anaerobic Digestion.

Waste Disposal: Offenders

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fixed penalties for waste receptacle related offences were issued in 2007-08.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 15 September 2008
	All local authorities and any other bodies with fixed penalty notice issuing powers must submit a returns form to the Local Environmental Quality division at DEFRA each year, detailing all the fixed penalty notices issued for relevant offences for that period. Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued in 2007-08 for 'waste receptacles offences' will be published later this year on the DEFRA website.

Waste Management

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what quantity of green list wastes was exported to non-OECD countries in the last five years; and to which companies this waste was exported in the receiving countries.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 10 September 2008
	Where non-hazardous wastes (such as separated recyclables) are exported, they are generally subject only to commercial controls, and not to the prior notification and consent procedures which apply to exports of hazardous wastes. Precise data on the amounts and destinations of exported recyclables are not, therefore, available.
	However, by using HM Revenue and Customs trade data it is possible to estimate that 8.4 million tonnes of green list waste was exported from the UK to countries outside the EU (including non-EU OECD countries) in 2006. This data is indicative, since the categories used to collect trade data are not identical to those used to collect data on waste.

Motor Sports: Finance

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding his Department has provided for motor sports technological development in each year since 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: Since 2003, BERR has allocated a total of £4 million towards motorsport development as part of its commitment to the work of Motorsport Development UK (MDUK). In addition, the motorsport industry has received £1.4 million from UK Trade and Investment Sectors Group. Expenditure is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  £000 
			   MDUK funding  UKTI Sector Group funding  Total spend in financial year 
			 2003-04 0 0 0 
			 2004-05 573 339 912 
			 2005-06 1,122 395 1,517 
			 2006-07 1,277 358 1,635 
			 2007-08 982 322 1,304 
			 Total 3,954 1,414 5,368

Motor Sports: Fuels

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent progress has been made on the Energy Efficient Motor Sport initiative, with particular reference to the development of a fuel-efficient sports car; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Energy Efficient Motor Sport (EEMS) is an initiative of Motorsport Development UK, a partnership between BERR and four regional development agencies set up to sustain and grow the UK's world-leading motorsport sector. EEMS has received £1.8 million Government funding.
	EEMS is actively involved in a new championship specifically designed to bring efficient sports cars into motorsport. It is working in partnership with EnviroSportscar to develop the regulations for the new series that will see high performance, fuel efficient sports cars competing in a series of circuit, drag and endurance racing challenges. The new championship was officially launched on 21 July 2008 at the London Motor show. In addition, EEMS is working with one of the highest profile sports car championships in the UK—the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)—to introduce regulation that will stimulate the more efficient use of fuels.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many kilograms of carbon dioxide are emitted on average from operating a train along one mile of  (a) electrified and  (b) diesel.

Tom Harris: The amount of CO2 emitted by diesel and electric trains varies according to the type of train and its operating conditions. Figure 18 from Professor Roger Kemp's recent report on rail traction energy compares the carbon performance of a range of domestic diesel and electric train types. Professor Kemp's report can be found on the internet at the following address:
	http://www.rssb.co.uk/pdf/reports/research/T618_traction-energy-metrics_final.pdf

Railways: Signals

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times railway signals were passed at danger in each month of each year between 1997 and 2008.

Tom Harris: The number of times signals were passed at danger on Britain's mainline railway in each month of each year between 1997 and 2008 are shown in the following table. The information is taken from the SPAD reports published on the Office of Rail Regulation's website and copies of which are available from the House Library.
	
		
			  The number of signals passed at danger (SPADs) each month from January 1997—June 2008 
			   January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December 
			 1997 41 51 62 66 42 52 55 73 47 68 85 36 
			 1998 49 45 45 51 64 45 63 58 64 80 77 36 
			 1999 59 45 54 46 55 68 66 53 55 73 56 22 
			 2000 36 38 52 31 35 47 31 44 46 53 52 29 
			 2001 33 42 43 37 56 33 50 48 30 40 44 32 
			 2002 21 28 23 21 35 41 37 40 24 60 39 27 
			 2003 37 23 29 21 33 29 38 34 29 47 46 36 
			 2004 25 21 26 39 31 25 44 32 37 38 30 18 
			 2005 27 23 34 21 17 40 28 27 31 41 31 25 
			 2006 21 24 29 25 23 30 42 24 28 41 36 32 
			 2007 27 13 19 21 30 28 31 23 29 41 39 24 
			 2008 21 34 38 26 23 30 — — — — — —

Roads: Tolls

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many bids for road pricing demonstration projects she has received; and how many of the eight demonstration schemes will utilise satellite technology.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 September 2008
	On 15 September 2008 the Government confirmed the names of the companies who will run the demonstrations project on road pricing technology. Eight bids were received in response to the Invitation To Tender for the Road User Service Provider's Framework, of which four were successful. They were T-Systems Ltd, Trafficmaster Plc, Sanef Tolling Limited and Intelligent Mechatronic Systems (UK): Satellite technology is a feature of each of these.
	As we announced in 2007 and then updated Parliament on in July this year, these trials will explore how time-distance-place charging can work accurately, reliably and affordably while safeguarding privacy. Designing an effective mechanism to achieve these aims presents a significant challenge. We believe that this project will help local authorities in the longer-term development of their plans for combining a local congestion charging scheme with major investment in public transport.

Military Aircraft

Robert Walter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Boeing-built, designed or supported  (a) airborne platforms,  (b) aircraft,  (c) helicopters and  (d) other air systems are (i) in use, (ii) in the process of acquisition or appraisal and (iii) under consideration for use in the three services.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The following table lists the major air assets which Boeing have either built, designed or currently support.
	
		
			  Asset  In use  Acquisition/Appraisal  Under consideration 
			  Airborne Platforms — — — 
			 
			  Aircraft
			 Sentry 7 — — 
			 C-17 6 — — 
			 Boeing RC-135(1) — — 3 
			 Helicopters — — — 
			 Apache 67 — — 
			 Chinook Mk2/2A 40 — — 
			 Chinook Mk3(2) — 8 — 
			 
			  Other Air Systems (3)— (3)— (3)— 
			 (1) Under consideration for the assessment phase of Project HELIX (replacement for Nimrod R1 capability.) (2) These helicopters are being converted to a support helicopter configuration and will enter service from late 2009. (3) I am withholding the information as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the conferences hosted by her Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference.

Liam Byrne: The amount spent on conference activity in 2006-07 was £9,325,652. The main conferences were "Tackling Drugs—Changing Lives"; New Asylum Model; eBorders Industry events; Schools Pack and "Drugs, Alcohol and Social Work".
	The amount spent on conference activity in 2007-08 was £4,020,987. The main conferences were "Victim Support—the changing landscape of crime"; "Tackling Drugs: Changing Lives"; National Identity Scheme Bidder; Young People Consultation and European Refugee Fund external stakeholder event.
	To gain the information on the cost of each conference could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as this data is not recorded separately on the Department's accounting systems.

Departmental Data Protection

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether personal data held by her Department is always encrypted prior to being transferred to compact discs for transmission.

Liam Byrne: In line with current Cabinet Office guidance, the Home Office does not always encrypt personal data before transferring it by disc. Since 22 November 2007, the Home Office has been undertaking a review of its technical, process and procedural arrangements to ensure the risk of data being compromised is managed and reduced to a minimum.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007,  Official Report, column 1179:
	"...I have asked the Cabinet Secretary and security experts to ensure that all Departments and all agencies check their procedures for the storage and use of data..."
	An interim progress report on the review was published by the Cabinet Office through a written ministerial statement on 17 December 2007,  Official Report, column 98WS. This included a recommendation to enhance the transparency with Parliament, and the public about the action taken to safeguard information and the results of that action, through publication of results Departmental annual reports and an annual report to Parliament.

Departmental ICT

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) personal digital assistants and  (c) laptop computers issued to departmental staff were reported (i) lost, (ii) missing and (iii) stolen since 2001.

Liam Byrne: We only have accurate information for the last three years.
	In 2005 there were 26 mobiles recorded as lost, seven as stolen and four as missing. No personal digital assistants (PDAs) were recorded as lost, stolen or missing. three laptops were reported as lost and 11 laptops were reported as stolen.
	In 2006 there were seven mobiles recorded as lost and three as missing. Five PDAs were reported as lost and two were reported as stolen. Additionally, three laptops were reported as lost, one as missing and 10 as stolen.
	In 2007 43 mobile telephone was reported as lost and four were reported as stolen. Nine PDAs were reported as lost and three stolen. Additionally, there were three laptops reported as lost and 12 reported as stolen.

Departmental Manpower

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the change in the number of employees in her Department and its agencies has been since July 2006.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office annual reports provide the staff numbers for each of the last two years.
	2007-08 Annual Report, information is available on page 102, table reference 5.6
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-annual-report-08?view=Binary.
	2006-07 Annual Report, information is available on page 112, table reference 5.6
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/ho-annual-report-07?view=Binary.
	In 2006-07 the Home Office HQ included the following departments; Communities Group, National Offender Management Service (NOMS) and Office for Criminal Justice Reform (OCJR). NOMS and OCJR left in May 2007 to join the new Ministry of Justice, and Communities Group transferred to Department for Communities and Local Government in May 2006.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department and its agencies spent on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.

Liam Byrne: The Home Office and its agencies (UKBA, IPS and CRB) spent a total of £10,208,700 on branding and marketing activity in 2007-08.

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of overtime payment paid to staff in her Department was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade.

Liam Byrne: Home Office policy is that overtime working is kept to a minimum and used only in periods of exceptional work pressure. However, because of the nature of immigration work, immigration staff in UK Border Agency are routinely required to work shifts which attract overtime payments, including premium payments for all weekend working (whether or not it is overtime).
	As immigration staff represent a significant proportion of total staff, over 75 per cent. of overtime cost is attributable to immigration staff duties, most of which will be due to the need to undertake routine shift work. Immigration staff are also required to stay beyond their usual shift working time to complete passenger casework and minimise disruption to the majority of the travelling public.
	Table 1 placed in the House Library summarises all gross overtime payments made to employees in the core Home Office, UK Border Agency, Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau, for each of the last 12 months. The data are broken down by grade and also record, separately, immigration staff. It has not proved possible to include employer pension and employer national insurance costs without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Postal Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to monitor the cost of its mail services in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: For the last 12 month period the cost of mail services has been monitored at regular intervals to ensure mail budgets are not exceeded and value for money is secured. The Department has liaised with the existing, as well as alternative, mail service providers in order to review efficiency and ensure best value.

Entry Clearances

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 80 immigration routes the Government are replacing; and how many entry clearances were granted under each route in the latest year for which figures are available.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 June 2008
	Those routes scheduled to be replaced under the Government's points system include:
	Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme
	Highly Skilled Migrant programme
	Innovators
	International Graduates scheme
	Investors
	Persons intending to establish themselves in business
	Self-employed lawyers
	Writers, composers and artists
	Airport-based operational ground staff
	Intra-company transfer
	Jewish agency employees
	Ministers of Religion, Missionaries and Members of Religious Orders
	Named researchers
	Overseas qualified nurse or midwife
	Overseas representatives (news media)
	Sabbatical posts
	Seafarers
	Training and work experience scheme (also tier 5)
	Work permit employment (also tier 5)
	Association of American Study Abroad programme
	Bar students
	Exchange students
	Music students
	Pestalozzi Childrens' Trust
	Pupillage
	Resit of Examinations
	Riding schools
	Sandwich students
	St. George's University School of Medicine
	Student nurses
	Students
	Welbeck college (Army recruits)
	Writing up a thesis
	Au Pair (non EEA)
	British Universities North America Club
	China Graduate Work Experience programme
	EU Leonardo da Vinci programme
	Exchange teachers and language assistants
	Gap year entrants
	General Agreement on Trade and Services
	International Association for the Exchange of students of Technical Expertise
	International Fire Fighter Fellowship programme
	Japan Youth Exchange scheme
	Medical Training Initiative
	Non-pastoral religious workers
	Overseas domestic workers in diplomatic households
	Overseas Government employees
	Research assistants to Members of Parliament
	Rudolf Steiner
	Sponsored researchers
	Training and Work Experience scheme (also Tier 2)
	Vander Elst
	Visiting religious workers
	Voluntary workers
	Work permit employment (also Tier 2)
	Working Holidaymaker scheme
	Overseas domestic workers in private households
	Retired persons of independent means
	Sole representatives
	Aircrew
	Civilian personnel in foreign armed forces
	Nurses in supervised practice
	Postgraduate doctors and dentists
	Turkish European Community Association Agreement
	UK Ancestry
	Offshore workers
	Employees of firms under contract to NATO
	Seasonal agricultural workers
	Sector Based schemes
	Entertainers' Concession (incl PFFs)
	Sportspersons' Concession
	Clinical attachment or dental observer
	Film Crew on Location
	PLAB Test
	Prospective students
	It is not possible to separately identify the entry clearance for each of these routes without incurring disproportionate cost as many are currently covered by a single entry clearance process.

Entry Clearances: Working Holidays

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many entry clearances were granted under the working holidaymakers scheme in each of the last five years; and how many were granted to applicants from each of the top 10 source countries in those years.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 June 2008
	The total number of entry clearances issued globally under the Working Holidaymaker (WHM) Scheme in each of the last four financial years (2004-08) is shown in the table. The number of such entry clearances issued in the top 10 WHM source countries in each of these years is also shown.
	In FY 2003-04, a total of 59,822 WHM visas were issued globally. However, we are unable to provide accurate figures for the numbers issued in individual countries in this or previous financial years.
	The data shown in the following tables is unpublished and should therefore be treated as provisional.
	
		
			  Working holidaymaker visas issued: FY 2004—FY 2008 
			   Country  FY 2004-05 issued 
			 1 Australia 23,257 
			 2 South Africa 21,781 
			 3 Canada 5,258 
			 4 New Zealand 4,833 
			 5 Ghana 3,224 
			 6 India 2,033 
			 7 Malaysia 1,470 
			 8 Namibia 1,101 
			 9 United States 674 
			 10 Sri Lanka 639 
			  Total (top 10) 64,270 
			
			  Total (all countries) 69,132 
		
	
	
		
			   Country  FY 2005-06 issued 
			 1 Australia 19,197 
			 2 South Africa 16,773 
			 3 Canada 4,508 
			 4 New Zealand 4,408 
			 5 Ghana 2,231 
			 6 India 1,550 
			 7 United States 479 
			 8 Trinidad and Tobago 461 
			 9 Singapore 315 
			 10 Irish Republic 248 
			  Total (top 10) 50,170 
			
			  Total (all countries) 52,598 
		
	
	
		
			   Country  FY 2006-07 issued 
			 1 Australia 20,588 
			 2 South Africa 8,946 
			 3 New Zealand 4,664 
			 4 Canada 3,852 
			 5 India 2,302 
			 6 Ghana 1,406 
			 7 Bangladesh 548 
			 8 United States 362 
			 9 Malaysia 313 
			 10 Trinidad and Tobago 301 
			  Total (top 10) 43,282 
			
			  Total (all countries) 46,048 
		
	
	
		
			   Country  FY 2007-08 issued 
			 1 Australia 14,948 
			 2 South Africa 6,374 
			 3 New Zealand 3,306 
			 4 Canada 3,060 
			 5 India 2,686 
			 6 Malaysia 1,016 
			 7 Ghana 855 
			 8 Bangladesh 602 
			 9 Trinidad and Tobago 285 
			 10 United States 260 
			  Total (top 10) 33,392 
			
			  Total (all countries) 35,641 
			  Note: Date range— 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2008.  Source: CRS (30 July 2008)

Work Permits: Health Professions

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which 20 non-EU nationalities received the most work permits for  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses in each year since 1997; and how many such work permits were issued to non-EU nationals in each of those years.

Liam Byrne: Tables placed in the House Library shows the 20 non-EU nationalities (where applicable) with the highest number of work permits granted each year for doctors and nurses in the period 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2007.

Community Orders

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average time between the passing of a sentence for a community order and the defendant's becoming engaged in the activity or requirement ordered was in each criminal justice area in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: National Standards for the Management of Offenders require that community orders begin in a timely manner and this is monitored by Probation Areas. Full year data is only available for 2006-07 and 2007-08 in relation to the start of unpaid work, drug rehabilitation and specific activity requirements are shown in tables 1 and 2. National Standards state that these requirements commence within 10 working days, two working days and 15 working days respectively.
	In respect of all community orders, with the exception of stand alone curfew and attendance centre requirements, offender managers are required to initiate contact with offenders within five working days of sentence. The extent to which this was achieved by probation areas during 2007-08 and 2006-07(1) is shown in tables 3 and 4.
	Figures relating to the start of community orders are not available for each criminal justice area, but are instead broken down by probation areas. The tables(2) provide a summary of National Standards monitoring in 2007-08 and 2006-07(1).
	National Standard requirements may not be met in some occasions as a result of operational pressures within probation areas or as a result of offenders failing to report as instructed.
	(1) Full year data is unavailable prior to this period.
	(2) Figures are extracted from large scale administrative systems, which may be subject to data input errors.
	
		
			  Table 1: Unpaid work requirements, drug testing and treatment orders/drug rehabilitation requirements and specific activity requirements 2007-08 
			   Percentage of unpaid work requirements commenced within 10 working days  Percentage of d rug  testing and treatment orders/drug r ehabilitation  r equirements commenced within two working days  Percentage of s pecified  activity r equirements commenced within 15 working days 
			  Probation area  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within 10 w/days  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within two w/days  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within 15 w/days 
			 Avon and Somerset 246 53 40 68 36 56 
			 Bedfordshire 165 79 30 63 9 56 
			 Cambridgeshire 163 61 24 54 21 48 
			 Cheshire 315 72 35 66 5 80 
			 County Durham 156 89 26 65 11 64 
			 Cumbria 247 85 21 76 0 — 
			 Derbyshire 276 66 83 86 29 76 
			 Devon and Cornwall 327 77 109 68 5 60 
			 Dorset 151 83 14 71 20 65 
			 Dyfed Powys 122 87 27 70 0 — 
			 Essex 455 77 38 47 64 64 
			 Gloucestershire 107 69 24 71 24 58 
			 Greater Manchester 1,438 75 244 61 10 40 
			 Gwent 208 75 48 65 95 58 
			 Hampshire 598 60 87 63 112 45 
			 Hertfordshire 246 78 19 42 85 33 
			 Humberside 302 72 66 76 66 55 
			 Kent 513 74 46 72 118 58 
			 Lancashire 538 69 107 63 3 33 
			 Leicestershire 456 84 71 85 44 34 
			 Lincolnshire 135 75 39 62 59 31 
			 London 2,202 45 408 48 160 48 
			 Merseyside 525 86 140 78 87 29 
			 Norfolk 289 85 50 74 8 50 
			 North Wales 229 90 37 51 26 56 
			 North Yorkshire 202 83 16 50 69 43 
			 Northamptonshire 285 88 69 86 70 73 
			 Northumbria 511 70 113 80 64 55 
			 Nottinghamshire 402 82 69 86 31 74 
			 South Wales 451 78 64 69 25 56 
			 South Yorkshire 464 84 113 68 17 47 
			 Staffordshire 276 70 104 77 120 32 
			 Suffolk 243 80 27 85 1 0 
			 Surrey 180 86 21 76 3 67 
			 Sussex 456 83 68 72 40 38 
			 Teesside 185 79 54 57 35 63 
			 Thames Valley 651 48 1090 72 — — 
			 Warwickshire 158 71 22 59 22 36 
			 West Mercia 429 77 67 67| 13 62 
			 West Midlands 734 68 193 66 47 47 
			 West Yorkshire 877 82 158 61 15 20 
			 Wiltshire 136 82 22 64 32 66 
			 England and Wales 12,154 71 3,084 66 1,802 50 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Unpaid work requirements, drug testing and treatment orders/drug rehabilitation requirements and specific activity requirements 2006-07 
			   Percentage of unpaid work requirements commenced within 10 working days  Percentage of  drug testing and treatment orders/drug r ehabilitation  r equirements commenced within two working days  Percentage of s pecified  activity r equirements commenced within 15 working days 
			  Probation area  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within required 10 w/days  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within two w/days  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases commenced within 15 w/days 
			 Avon and Somerset 302 60 69 62 32 53 
			 Bedfordshire 156 62 30 57 13 31 
			 Cambridgeshire 178 56 22 41 17 41 
			 Cheshire 259 75 57 56 9 56 
			 County Durham 171 86 11 64 18 39 
			 Cumbria 188 86 20 70 0 — 
			 Derbyshire 339 66 75 77 31 48 
			 Devon and Cornwall 368 71 82 63 1 100 
			 Dorset 140 81 18 89 16 81 
			 Dyfed Powys 96 76 28 93 0 — 
			 Essex 214 51 14 64 32 44 
			 Gloucestershire 105 75 10 80 30 57 
			 Greater Manchester 1,392 80 291 59 11 82 
			 Gwent 201 79 58 79 68 60 
			 Hampshire 575 63 77 73 118 52 
			 Hertfordshire 242 69 34 62 37 43 
			 Humberside 319 74 67 63 49 53 
			 Kent 497 78 55 60 77 77 
			 Lancashire 494 70 119 69 3 67 
			 Leicestershire 443 84 93 83 28 43 
			 Lincolnshire 113 66 50 66 47 40 
			 London 2,359 45 456 51 145 49 
			 Merseyside 504 88 97 72 50 28 
			 Norfolk 265 77 34 62 7 43 
			 North Wales 204 83 24 46 61 36 
			 North Yorkshire 263 82 30 90 67 54 
			 Northamptonshire 163 80 33 73 50 38 
			 Northumbria 448 70 107 57 55 44 
			 Nottinghamshire 419 66 89 72 23 78 
			 South Wales 443 86 64 66 32 66 
			 South Yorkshire 453 78 77 90 13 38 
			 Staffordshire 268 79 83 72 133 38 
			 Suffolk 105 79 8 63 1 0 
			 Surrey 163 88 44 77 2 50 
			 Sussex 376 83 67 73 14 29 
			 Teesside 235 77 47 66 44 61 
			 Thames Valley 605 48 81 51 50 58 
			 Warwickshire 139 68 34 76 16 13 
			 West Mercia 390 70 50 54 15 67 
			 West Midlands 584 46 248 70 81 47 
			 West Yorkshire 762 74 191 61 2 100 
			 Wiltshire 139 78 34 79 14 36 
			 England and Wales 16,082 69 3,178 65 1,512 49 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: First appointment arranged with offender manager within five working days of sentence 2007-08 
			  Probation area  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases in which first appointment was arranged with offender manager within five working days 
			 Avon and Somerset 452 83 
			 Bedfordshire 287 95 
			 Cambridgeshire 276 76 
			 Cheshire 549 91 
			 County Durham 346 95 
			 Cumbria 393 94 
			 Derbyshire 365 94 
			 Devon and Cornwall 550 96 
			 Dorset 219 89 
			 Dyfed Powys 247 97 
			 Essex 663 89 
			 Gloucestershire 211 86 
			 Greater Manchester 2,520 96 
			 Gwent 377 95 
			 Hampshire 954 83 
			 Hertfordshire 495 87 
			 Humberside 526 98 
			 Kent 741 97 
			 Lancashire 1,091 95 
			 Leicestershire 720 94 
			 Lincolnshire 260 80 
			 London 3,024 58 
			 Merseyside 964 94 
			 Norfolk 414 97 
			 North Wales 438 95 
			 North Yorkshire 367 96 
			 Northamptonshire 461 96 
			 Northumbria 1,127 94 
			 Nottinghamshire 788 95 
			 South Wales 777 94 
			 South Yorkshire 944 96 
			 Staffordshire 565 87 
			 Suffolk 360 97 
			 Surrey 332 95 
			 Sussex 821 88 
			 Teesside 418 98 
			 Thames Valley 1,027 82 
			 Warwickshire 288 94 
			 West Mercia 801 90 
			 West Midlands 1,657 86 
			 West Yorkshire 1,607 98 
			 Wiltshire 221 87 
			 England and Wales 29,741 89 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: First appointment arranged with offender manager within five working days of sentence 2006-07 
			  Probation area  Number of cases in sample  Percentage of cases in which first appointment was arranged with offender manager within five working days 
			 Avon and Somerset 505 91 
			 Bedfordshire 314 91 
			 Cambridgeshire 263 71 
			 Cheshire 510 89 
			 County Durham 333 97 
			 Cumbria 323 90 
			 Derbyshire 503 93 
			 Devon and Cornwall 605 94 
			 Dorset 217 91 
			 Dyfed Powys 220 96 
			 Essex 327 90 
			 Gloucestershire 218 89 
			 Greater Manchester 2,445 94 
			 Gwent 356 97 
			 Hampshire 823 86 
			 Hertfordshire 467 80 
			 Humberside 542 96 
			 Kent 747 95 
			 Lancashire 960 95 
			 Leicestershire 681 88 
			 Lincolnshire 242 92 
			 London 3,405 57 
			 Merseyside 968 96 
			 Norfolk 415 92 
			 North Wales 379 95 
			 North Yorkshire 416 95 
			 Northamptonshire 294 84 
			 Northumbria 1,051 94 
			 Nottinghamshire 787 94 
			 South Wales 751 93 
			 South Yorkshire 987 90 
			 Staffordshire 569 90 
			 Suffolk 178 96 
			 Surrey 292 87 
			 Sussex 666 89 
			 Teesside 478 93 
			 Thames Valley 977 76 
			 Warwickshire 261 92 
			 West Mercia 685 93 
			 West Midlands 1,420 83 
			 West Yorkshire 1,606 95 
			 Wiltshire 263 85 
			 England and Wales 28,567 87

Departmental Data Protection

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what incidents of data loss by or from his Department there have been since 1 July 2007; and what instructions or protocols there are in his Department to prevent such losses.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice has published details of significant personal data related incidents in 2007-08 in its resource accounts laid before this House on 21 July 2008. For the year 2008-09 to date there has been one significant incident, involving the loss of an inadequately protected storage device from the premises of an IT contractor. Other data losses will be handled at local level and compiling information on these could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Edward Miliband) of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 26WS, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.
	The Ministry of Justice has procedures and guidance covering security, information security and data protection designed to identify and control the risk of the unauthorised release of personal data taking place. They include:
	Ensuring our sites are physically secure and protected from unauthorised access
	Ensuring our employees are reliable through checks on background
	Providing guidance to staff on general security with separate guidance on IT security and data protection issues
	Procedures for assessing IT systems
	We also have systems, for monitoring and checking compliance
	These policies and procedures extend to our contracted suppliers.

National Offender Management Service: Buildings

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on the development of the National Offender Management Services Headquarters to date.

David Hanson: As at the end of July 2008, a total of £699,000 had been spent on the development of the National Offender Management Service headquarters. This is not additional expenditure but a re-allocation of existing resources to this very important programme of work. £232,000 relates to permanent staff which have been seconded to the programme in either project management or subject matter expert roles, but their substantive roles have not been filled. £467,000 covers the use of specialist IT and consultancy support, predominantly using resources from the agency IT provider.
	The first phase of the programme covers the fundamental merger type aspects of transferring staff into the Headquarters, Areas and Regions of the NOMS agency and the associated issues around their terms and conditions, accommodation needs, IT requirements and the necessary transfer of data from Home Office to NOMS. The programme then consists mainly of an organisation design phase where the structures will be designed to be fit-for-purpose to meet the financial and operational challenges to March 2011.

Women's Prisons: Crimes of Violence

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many violent incidents have been recorded in women's prisons over the last five years; and how many assaults on staff have been recorded in women's prisons in that time.

Maria Eagle: The term 'violent incident' is not used in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) data. The nearest equivalent to 'violent incidents' in NOMS data is incidents of assault. Information on incidents of assault is set out in the following table but is subject to important qualifications. Assault data covers a range of behaviour and may include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids, other non-contact incidents and allegations. Information on assault incidents may involve more than one assailant or more than one victim. In a proportion of incidents only the victim is known.
	The Prison Service incident reporting system processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide an indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute.
	
		
			  Assaults in women's prisons over the past five years 
			   Number 
			 2003 521 
			 2004 566 
			 2005 637 
			 2006 697 
			 2007 658 
			  Note: The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents. 
		
	
	 Assaults on staff in women's prisons over the past five years
	Assault information is recorded at establishment level where it is categorised into one of four categories: prisoner on prisoner, prisoner on officer, prisoner on other and other (including assaults or allegations of assault by non prisoners). The recorded incidents of assaults on prison officers are not completely exclusive to officers; establishment recording sometimes includes assaults on other prison staff in this category. The category prisoner on other contains few entries but these may include prison staff as well as visitors, legal visitors etc. This reply combines prisoner on officer and prisoner on other data categories.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 214 
			 2004 208 
			 2005 257 
			 2006 314 
			 2007 270